Nancy Joanne Kellner

KELLNER Nancy Joanne (Holte) Kellner passed away March 14, 2012, in Ft. Collins, Colo. Nancy was born Aug. 24, 1951, in Kansas City, Mo., to the union of Wilbert Severt Holte and Norma Jean Searcy. She was raised in Kansas City. As a child, she enjoyed visits to the family farm in Clay County, Kan., and spending Christmases with her grandparents and cousins in Lincoln, Neb. Nancy graduated from Southwest High School in 1969 and received a bachelor of science degree in nursing from the University of Missouri- Columbia in 1974. She married Robert A. Kellner in 1973 and had two children, Jim and Olivia. The family moved to Pueblo West, Colo., in 1980. Nancy was most proud of her role as a home-health nurse for the Pueblo City- County Health Department and St. Mary-Corwin Hospital. She was dedicated to providing comfort and care to her patients in their homes, and developed many special relationships with her patients and their families. Nancy earned a master's degree in public administration from the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs in 1990, and worked as a nurse manager at St. Thomas More Hospital in Canon City. She subsequently worked for the American Red Cross. In 2001, Nancy relocated to Ft. Collins, where she continued nursing at Surgical Specialists of the Rockies. Nancy found peace in Ft. Collins, particularly through her church community at Foothills Unitarian Church. She enjoyed singing in the church choir and was an active member of the Caring Committee. Nancy enjoyed traveling with her children. Highlights include a long-awaited trip to Prince Edward Island with Olivia and visits with Jim in Hawaii. Nancy especially enjoyed being a grandma to her twin grandsons, Avery and Bromley. Nancy will be remembered for her subtle sense of humor, the sense of grace and dignity with which she carried herself, and for the compassion she showed to others. She enjoyed working with her hands and will be remembered for many intricate pieces of Norwegian hardanger embroidery and her award- winning homemade breads, cookies and cakes. Nancy is preceded in death by her parents, Wilbert and Norma Jean Holte, and by former spouse, Robert A. Kellner. She is survived by her brother, David M. (Laura J.) Holte of Clinton, Wash.; her children, James R. (Jillian L. Emmons) Kellner of University Park, Md., and Olivia A. (William H.) Knieff of Ft. Collins; her grandsons, Avery J.E. and Bromley D.E. Kellner; her dog, Dexter; a large extended family, and numerous friends and colleagues. Memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, March 24, at Foothills Unitarian Church, 1815 Yorktown Ave., Ft. Collins. Those wishing to do so may make contributions in Nancy's memory to Partners in Health (www.pih.org) or Foothills Unitarian Church.